Tag: Michigan Football

Wolverines in the NFL: Week 10

Michigan football alumni were making plays once again in the NFL last week, check out how they all did during the Week 10 action.

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The Michigan football team was on a bye week this week, so that left your Saturday open to watching other college football teams. Luckily there are former Michigan football players in the NFL, so you were still able to get a small taste of the program this week in the NFL.

Check out how the Michigan alumni did this week at the next level.

OFFENSE

Quarterback:
  • Tom Brady (New England Patriots) – Brady and the Patriots were on a bye week this week.
Tight End:
  • Zach Gentry (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Gentry was inactive once again this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
Offensive Line:
  • Graham Glasgow (Detroit Lions) – Glasgow returned to action this week in his teams 20-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, and he had two false start penalties called on himself, not the best return for the former Wolverine.
  • Taylor Lewan (Tennessee Titans) – Lewan drew more penalties this week in his team’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs and he was upset with himself after the game about it. Lewan has nine penalties in just six games this season.

  • Patrick Omameh (New Orleans Saints) – Omameh was active, but didn’t play in his teams 26-9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
  • Michael Schofield III (Los Angeles Chargers) – Schofield had his worst week of the season so far, allowing half a sack in his team’s loss to the Oakland Raiders.
  • Mason Cole (Arizona Cardinals) – Cole got another start this week and while he didn’t allow a sack this week, he did draw one holding penalty. The Cardinals would lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-27.
  • Erik Magnuson (Oakland Raiders) – Magnuson was inactive in his team’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line:
  • Chase Winovich (New England Patriots) – Winovich and the Patriots were on a bye week this week.
  • Taco Charlton (Miami Dolphins) – Charlton was quiet in his team’s 16-12 win over the Indianapolis Colts, finishing with one total tackle.
  • Brandon Graham (Philidelphia Eagles) – Graham and the Eagles were on a bye week this week.
  • Chris Wormley (Baltimore Ravens) – Wormley had his best game of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, finishing with four total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.
  • Ryan Glasgow (Cincinnati Bengals) – Glasgow was active but didn’t show up on the stat sheet in his team’s 49-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
  • Frank Clark (Kansas City Chiefs) – Clark was active against the Tennessee Titans and had four total tackles, one sack, a pass deflection and a tackle for loss in his team’s 35-32 loss.
  • Maurice Hurst (Oakland Raiders) – Hurst had two total tackles, a half a tackle for loss and a half a sack in his team’s 26-24 win over the Chargers.
Linebacker
  • Rashan Gary (Green Bay Packers) – Gary was active against the Carolina Panthers this week, but didn’t end up on the stat sheet as his team won 24-16.
  • Devin Bush (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Bush was not much of a threat to the Rams this week, finishing with three total tackles and half a sack in the team’s win.
  • Ben Gedeon (Minnesota Vikings) – Gedeon was quiet in his teams win over the Dallas Cowboys, finishing with only one total tackle.
Defensive back:
  • Jourdan Lewis (Dallas Cowboys) – Lewis against the New York Giants last week had a nice game, finishing with six total tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his team’s win. This week in their 28-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Lewis had only one total tackle and one pass deflection.

  • Jabrill Peppers (New York Giants) – Peppers against the Cowboys last week finished with a team-high 12 total tackles, along with a pass deflection in the team’s 37-18 defeat. Against the New York Jets this week, Peppers had six total tackles, one and a half for loss, and a pass deflection in his teams 34-27 defeat.
  • David Long (Los Angeles Rams) – Long was quiet in his team’s 17-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, finishing with only one total tackle.
  • Jarrod Wilson (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Wilson and the Jaguars were on a bye week this week.
  • Brandon Watson (Jacksonville Jaguars) – Watson and the Jaguars were on a bye week this week.
  • Lano Hill (Seattle Seahawks) – Hill and the Seattle Seahawks play on Monday Night Football this week, his stats will appear in next week’s edition.
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Harbaugh: Josh Ross healthy and available, but looking to preserve redshirt

What the Wolverines head coach had to say about his injured starting LB and how he could fit into the rotation upon return.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan got some good news two weeks ago, when traveling to Maryland, for the first time since Week Four at Wisconsin, linebacker Josh Ross was healthy and available to play.

The middle linebacker was heralded this offseason as a player who could play at a Devin Bush Jr.-type level, but early-season injuries kept him off the field for the most part. Even in Week Two, he didn’t play more than half the game, and only got limited run in Madison two weeks later.

But in College Park, Ross not only traveled, but he suited up, ready to take on the Terrapins, though he didn’t make his way onto the field beyond pregame warmups.

So, where is he in his availability? Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh shared that intel on Monday, as well as expectations for him moving forward.

“He’s back – he’s prepared and ready to play,” Harbaugh said. “Our plan with Josh is to play in one more game. He hasn’t redshirted so far and with the time that he’s already missed, hopefully we’ll have the luxury of only playing him in one more game and getting him an extra year. That would give him two more after this season. That’s our hope that we’ll be able to do that.”

With Cam McGrone stepping into the starting MIKE LB role against Rutgers and not letting it go due to a stellar level of play, it does create something of a quality problem for the Wolverines, with two high-level players who play the same position.

But, given the intention to redshirt Ross, Harbaugh said nothing is changing for McGrone, and that, instead, they’re more looking for one particular opportunity to get the in-state product back on the field this season.

And the team is hoping to keep it limited to just that one game, as to preserve future eligibility.

“Cam’s starting, but Josh is being prepared to play,” Harbaugh said. “When we feel like (he’s) most needed. One of the two inside backers wouldn’t be able to start or finish the game – preparing him for when we need him the most. Trying to get that one game to be the game that he would play in.”

Ross’ return does add extra insurance, not just at McGrone’s spot, but also at WILL linebacker, where senior Jordan Glasgow has shined this season.

Last season, while Ross wasn’t the starter, he did get what seemed to be the bulk of the minutes at WILL, platooning with Devin Gil, who has seemingly been relegated mostly to special teams this season, with Glasgow’s breakout year.

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What Jim Harbaugh, Michigan expects from MSU matchup on Saturday

What the Wolverines head coach expects from the in-state rival on Saturday.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — If you were to look at the recent records of both Michigan and in-state rival MSU, you wouldn’t necessarily put much stock into the Spartans coming into Saturday’s contest.

However, as Jim Harbaugh notes, that would be foolish.

The Wolverines head coach knows the type of game the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy is annually, and while the record is lopsided towards the maize and blue, there have certainly been years where a seemingly overmatched Spartans team has come in and gotten the best of their in-state rivals.

But when you especially look at how much MSU head coach Mark Dantonio truly loathes all things Michigan, you can expect a little extra in this game. Some extra hitting, extra game-planning, extra motivation from the current 4-5 team in East Lansing.

“On high alert for everything,” Harbaugh said. “Specifically, yeah, we understand that Coach Dantonio is a master motivator. There could be trick plays. Special teams, the punt fakes, field goal fakes. Everything needs to be alerted and prepared and readied for.”

Calling the annual matchup ‘very competitive and intense,’ Harbaugh notes that the team doesn’t usually spend as much time doing extra legwork to make sure they’re not caught with possible trickery.

But such is the nature of this particular matchup, given the bag of hammers Dantonio tends to pull from when these two teams meet up.

“I would say it’s more than most games, because they’ve done more with those types of plays, with fakes,” Harbaugh said. “Out of necessity, spending more time on it than normal.”

The national discussion surrounding MSU is less about its downfall — it was 7-6 a year ago — but has more to do with its offense.

Ranked 96th in total offense (yards-per-game) and 106th in rushing offense, the Spartans are in their second-straight year of fielding what looks like a moribund attack on that side of the ball. But that’s not how Harbaugh looks at it.

There are times when MSU can seemingly pull it all together, and it would make sense that it would do everything in its power to do just that against its biggest rival.

We’ve seen games where the Spartans haven’t been bad, or inept, in that regard. Despite the overall numbers, MSU had the best offensive game that Ohio State has seen to this point, and put up big yardage numbers in the win over Western Michigan earlier in the year, and again in the loss this past Saturday against Illinois.

So when Harbaugh looks at that side of the ball, and the team as a whole, he sees something more dangerous than the general public might.

“Well, they put up over 500 yards of offense this past week,” Harbaugh said. “Defense is one of the best in the country. Special teams, year-in and year-out, is consistently good, solid, explosive. Prone to trickery, as well. Everything in our preparation is gonna have to be at its highest level. We’re excited – we were excited to get started, we already got started. We’re already in the midst of our preparations.”

Regardless, the spectre of the rivalry will certainly take ahold, at least once both teams hit the field — and it might not wait until the game actually begins.

Last year, as well-noted, there was the pregame incident with the Spartans’ traditional field walk, which the Big Ten deemed to come too late before the game, per the conference’s review. Subsequently, Devin Bush Jr. took cleats to the Spartans logo at midfield, proving that the Spartans had Michigan’s attention this time around.

Harbaugh doesn’t expect any pregame shenanigans this time around, but again, harkened back to what took place in East Lansing a little more than a year ago.

“That’s been addressed pretty thoroughly,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a rule that two hours before the game, players cannot be on the field before two hours. So if there are any pregame traditions, then those take place before the two hour mark, when both teams, in two hours, are allowed to be on the field and share the field. One team cannot supersede that. It’s been addressed.”

So, come Saturday, regardless of the directions each team seems to be moving in, expect the unexpected.

Jim Harbaugh and the maize and blue certainly are. While you are what your record says you are, when it comes to this particular matchup, Harbaugh goes straight to an old, but perhaps true, idiom.

“As I said, high alert,” Harbaugh said. “This is an important game for both teams. Throw out the records – that’s an old cliché you can use – when you play this type of game.”

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How Chris Evans return to Michigan adds explosiveness to backfield

Michigan football will have running back Chris Evans return to action next year, how will his explosiveness change the backfield?

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Back in February of this year, Michigan football simply announced that running back Chris Evans was “not a member of the football team at this time.” Evans would later post on Twitter that he was going through some academic issues and would continue his career at Michigan.

In July, there wouldn’t be any changes and he would be suspended for the entire 2019 season, as he would explain on Twitter that he was no longer enrolled in the university. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said the decision was made by the university, not the football team. Also that Evans had a chance to rejoin the team in the spring, but that wasn’t able to get resolved by then. Evans said the situation was “an academic mistake. Not my grades. I’m on pace to graduate.”

Since then we haven’t heard much about Evans, until last week.

Evans posted this on Twitter, hinting at his return to the field in Ann Arbor in 2020.

That talk continued today, as Harbaugh spoke to the media and addressed the Evans situation.

“Chris will be reinstated for the winter term,” Harbaugh said. “When he gets back in school he will be able to participate fully in football again. My knowledge of the situation is that he had a productive meeting to see if he could be reinstated back into school and my understanding that he will be for the winter term. We’ll welcome him back to the football team.”

The winter term begins in January, and no that doesn’t mean that if Michigan plays in a bowl game in January that he will be on the team. Michigan doesn’t start their winter academic term until Monday, January 8.

What does this do for the 2020 running back room? Only make it better. Evans was looked at as a possible starter heading into his senior year this year with running back Karan Higdon graduating and the other being underclassmen or freshman and not having much playing time.

The Wolverines have missed Evans speed in the backfield, and his ability to be a shifty receiving back as well. The running game has been fine without him though, as Hassan Haskins and Zach Charbonnet have stepped up big this season.

Haskins has 72 carries for 426 yards and two touchdowns, while Charbonnet has 117 carries for 559 yards and 11 touchdowns. While they have been able to score and get some nice carries, the receiving aspect hasn’t been the same without Evans. Haskins and Charbonnet have a combined 11 catches for 39 yards.

In his three years at Michigan, Evans has a total of 304 carries for 1,722 yards for 14 touchdowns, along with 40 catches for 392 yards and two touchdowns. Evans saw an increased workload after his freshman year in 2016 and was seen as a threat on the ground with his speed, and as a receiver.

In 2020, Haskins and Charbonnet will return and with the addition of Evans means the Wolverines will have a nasty trio in the backfield. The elusive back in Charbonnet, the bruiser in Haskins, and the speed and receiving back in Evans.

Another year learning the playbook will be huge for the younger guys. Having Evans being used as a weapon in the passing game can help the spread offense out as the Wolverines haven’t used the running back much as a receiving threat this season. Evans returning will be a big shot in the arm to the backfield next year, and something everyone will be talking about heading into the 2020 season.

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Michigan on ‘high alert’ for MSU’s ‘Super Bowl’

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Let the back-and-forth begin. It’s hate week in Ann Arbor, with in-state rival Michigan State coming to town on Saturday. The Spartans come in reeling, while the Wolverines are flying high, with the former having just melted down, …

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Let the back-and-forth begin.

It’s hate week in Ann Arbor, with in-state rival Michigan State coming to town on Saturday. The Spartans come in reeling, while the Wolverines are flying high, with the former having just melted down, having surrendered 27 points in the fourth quarter to Illinois to fall to 4-5 on the season, while the latter is just now putting it all together at 7-2.

But, that doesn’t mean that the Wolverines are expecting to cruise to an easy victory.

It is a rivalry, after all, and as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh says, there’s no letting up, regardless if it seems that the two teams are moving in different directions.

“On high alert for everything,” Harbaugh said. “Specifically, yeah — we understand that Coach Dantonio is a master motivator. There could be trick plays. Special teams, punt fakes, field goal fakes. Everything needs to be alerted and prepared and ready for.”

But coaches coach in games, and players play in them. So getting the players’ perspective is key.

For the local Michigan products, this game means a little bit more, because they grew up playing with and against a lot of the players on the other side of the ball. Such is true for former Detroit (MI) King standout Ambry Thomas, who played alongside MSU LB Tyriq Thompson and against WR Cody White while in high school.

While there’s chirping back and forth the week of the game, Thomas says he understands what this game means, especially for the reeling Spartans.

“You can’t let them get a heads up,” Thomas said. “You’ve gotta step on their throat and stay there all game. We know they’re going to treat this game like their Super Bowl. We’ve gotta be prepared and just attack them, like they’re gonna try to attack us.”

Of course, talk and the action borne thereof fuels this rivalry.

Last year, it started with the pregame stunt by MSU, as they were late doing their traditional field walk, meaning Michigan was already on the field warming up. The Wolverines refused to vacate, so the Spartans walked through, refusing to unlink for some — like Devin Bush — while others like Khaleke Hudson didn’t make physical contact. After that incident, Bush famously tore up the Spartans logo with his cleats, and after the game, then-defensive end Chase Winovich spoke on FOX about MSU being ‘little brother,’ harkening back to the words spoken by Mike Hart after the 2007 contest.

Those words continue to be spoken in regards to the rivalry, including on Monday, in terms of how both teams treat it.

“Right now, it’s the most important game on our schedule,” Thomas said. “It’s about who’s the big brother, who’s the little sister in this state. That’s what it’s really about. We plan to give it our all, just like they plan to give us their all.

“You come to Michigan to play in this game right here and that team down there in Ohio. But you come to Michigan to play in these two games and these are must wins for us.”

The Spartans may be reeling, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but that’s not the team that the Wolverines see.

Perhaps it’s an added respect given, knowing that the two teams can prove it on the field this Saturday. But MSU’s offense has been nothing short of erratic, with the Spartans gaining 526 yards in the loss to Illinois, but struggling to get much of anything going against the Wisconsins, Penn States and Ohio States of the world.

Still, Thomas sees an offense that could be tough to stop, should everything come together.

“I see a team with a lot of talent, honestly – they just haven’t figured it out yet,” Thomas said. “They have a lot of talent. We know we just have to show up, ball out, do what we do.”

Michigan hosts MSU at The Big House with kickoff set for noon EST on FOX.

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Michigan football – Indiana kickoff time set

We now know the rest of the start times for Michigan football moving forward. With the two upcoming home rivalry games kicking off at noon EST, the lone game we didn’t know about was the final road game of the season, as Michigan travels to …

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We now know the rest of the start times for Michigan football moving forward.

With the two upcoming home rivalry games kicking off at noon EST, the lone game we didn’t know about was the final road game of the season, as Michigan travels to Bloomington to take on a currently ranked Indiana team.

While the Hoosiers play Penn State this weekend, which could affect their ability to be ranked, regardless, it’ll be a big matchup for a Wolverines team that has recently struggled at Indiana, with each of the last two road games there going to overtime.

As a result, it won’t just be an early kickoff, as Indiana announced that the game will kick off at 3:30PM EST, and will be televised on either ABC or ESPN.

Michigan has to really maintain focus, either way, given the recent struggles against the Hoosiers, especially on the road. But, it’s somewhat exacerbated given that the maize and blue take on archrival Ohio State the very next week. In recent memory, when the Wolverines have taken on Indiana, the home games have been the week before The Game, but the road games came at least two weeks before said matchup.

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Updates: Michigan Jim Harbaugh press conference (Week Twelve – MSU)

The Wolverines head coach is set to meet with the media to discuss the in-state rivalry.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Hate week is finally here, with the Michigan State Spartans coming to Ann Arbor this week.

As he does every Monday, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is set to meet with the media, this time to preview the maize and blue’s penultimate home contest against rival MSU this upcoming Saturday.

WolverinesWire’s Isaiah Hole is on the ground, and will bring you LIVE updates starting at 12PM EST.

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